From
Vermont to Tulsa
Greetings from Tulsa, where we arrived 3 days ago to spend a couple days visiting Jon's brother Craig & his family. We passed through Joplin, Missouri where a recent tornado passed through and pray that there are no tornados while we're here! But, we passed up the vacuum cleaner museum, the world's largest rocking chair and a tribute museum to the dogs that were lost on the Titanic in order to get here in time for dinner!
The day we left VT we made it to Buffalo, NY. We stayed at a great hotel on points that had a beautiful running path, a fireplace and a kitchen. It made the first night easier, although we had to stay up late cramming in all that we did. The next morning we checked out Niagara Falls for the first time, went on the maid of the mist and walked a few of the trails. It was a beautiful day, I think the falls were even more substantial than usual given that the water is still pretty high (we saw the flooding on Lake Champlain). It was neat to get right up to them in the boat and then look up to see the water falling straight down with such a crisp line. Since it's still pretty early in the season, there wasn't much for crowds & we got on the first boat. They give you a poncho to wear since the wind and spray under the falls is pretty intense.
We continued that day to a campground in Ohio called Alum Creek- it turned out to be just OK. Our site was near the creek but the water was brown and not any good for swimming. Problem is we were boiling hot, the camper is a cooker if it isn't in the shade and we realize we need a fan to pull in cool air from outside in the evening. Overnight it cooled off and we took a nice run before heading out the next morning.
We did 500 miles and got to Meramec state park in Missouri which turned out to be the best state park we've ever been to. It's situated on the Meramec river which is clear, green and beautiful. You can take a bus 5 miles up the river and then float down on a tube, which was perfect. It was a hot, sunny day again and the best place to be was in the water. There weren't any houses - it was just the banks of the river, birds and us. After that we took a tour of Fisher Caves which were there at the park also. You go way back in to them carrying a flashlight. The ranger showed us many cave formations & bear claw marks where bears come in to hibernate. I guess they find their way out by smell. The ranger had us turn off our lights at one point and our eyes never adjusted to be able to see anything and he explained that there is absolutely no light in there for your eyes to gather. I'm not claustrophobic but.... He also pointed out writing on some of the stalactites that dates bakc from the mid 1800's and also around 1904 when the World's fair was held nearly. It was standard practice to write on the cave walls that you were there. Some were elaborate poems. Obviously, they don't allow that anymore.
The rest of the day we walked trails and went swimming again in the river which was right across from our site. The cicadas are in full "bloom". We noticed them first on the interstate- started to hear this high pitched roar and wondered if it was our truck or something. I opened the window and figured out that it was the roar of millions of cicadas. They are a pretty substantial bug, but they don't bite or fly into you like most bugs. If you accidentally step on one, they make a sad noise that makes you feel bad as if you caused them pain. Problem is, they're everywhere and they're basically dying. I need to read up on them but I hear their lifespan is like 3 weeks.
Aside from being hot, the camper is working out well. There's a learning curve though- every time we stop for gas we look back there and see what has moved. Towels falling, cabinet doors opening, a shade falling off the wall- I think we've got the major stuff secured now. The truck is also running warmer with all the added weight of towing combined with the tremendous heat. And even though this is a heat wave right now, the summer will be plenty hot and so Jon is installing an oil cooler while we're here. Given our cruising plans this Fall, there's no sense in getting a new truck at this point unless it is absolutely necessary.
We plan to head out Tuesday morning for Colorado. Looking forward to gaining some elevation!
We are enjoying spending time with our nephew Mason. He's 7 and playing baseball. We went to his last game of the season.
Well, this is a sort of fragmented blog entry but at least it is something!
From
Vermont to Tulsa